Mali has signed two agreements with Russian company Zarubezhgeologiya to map mineral resources across more than half its territory and develop a digital platform for managing geological data and mining activities.
Mali’s mining sector is beginning to see movement in exploration licensing, with 21 permits processed between August and September 2026, according to Fousseni Tougela, president of the Mali Chamber of Mines.
Niger's cabinet has granted a uranium mining permit for the In Azaoua area near Arlit to Tsumco SA, a state company created after Niger nationalised Orano's Somaïr mine, formalising its control of ground once run by the French group.
Toubani Resources has drawn down an initial $25 million under its Kobada project funding package, with construction of the Mali gold mine progressing on multiple fronts.
Mali has issued the Menankoto exploitation permit for B2Gold's Fekola Regional project, clearing the way for ore trucking to the Fekola mill and extending the complex's life into the late 2030s.
A wave of sustainability-linked mining bonds was in development across Zambia and the DRC as of 24 July 2026, aiming to raise over $100m per deal to formalise artisanal miners and fund shared infrastructure alongside industrial projects.
Mali's transitional parliament has approved a law creating a new state agency, OMASP, to regulate and secure the sale of gold and other precious minerals amid huge estimated smuggling losses.
Resolute Mining said Syama would produce only about 30,000oz in the June quarter, well below the 40,000-45,000oz expected, after security problems in Mali disrupted equipment deliveries and explosives supply.
Gounkoto Mining Services, the Bouygues-linked contractor that mined the Gounkoto and Yalea North pits at Barrick's Loulo-Gounkoto complex, is winding up in Mali and has issued termination notices to more than 600 workers.
Valterra Platinum's first-quarter 2026 production rose 7% year-on-year to 743,500 oz, with Amandelbult up 43% as it recovered from 2025 flooding, while the average basket price hit a five-year high.
South Africa's mineral resources portfolio committee received an update from the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure on measures to combat illegal mining, formalising a multi-agency policy response.
Mali has granted Barrick a ten-year renewal of its Loulo mining permit, cementing the settlement of their dispute and clearing the way for underground development at the Loulo-Gounkoto complex.
Mali's council of ministers has approved a new wholly state-owned company, Sopamim, to acquire and manage the government's shareholdings in mining companies.
Mali's industrial gold production fell 22.9% in 2025, provisional government figures show, as the prolonged suspension of Barrick's Loulo-Gounkoto complex outweighed a $1.2bn windfall from a mining-arrears audit.
Kodal Minerals received a $21.3m payment from Hainan Mining in December 2025 after Bougouni's maiden 28,950-tonne spodumene shipment departed Cote d'Ivoire's San Pedro port for China on 30 November 2025.
Barrick Mining reached a settlement with Mali in November 2025, paying roughly $430m to end an arbitration dispute and regain operational control of the Loulo-Gounkoto gold complex, which it lost earlier in the standoff.
Barrick Mining has agreed to pay Mali $430m to end a two-year row over the Loulo-Gounkoto gold complex, with Bamako dropping criminal charges and freeing detained staff.
Barrick and Mali's government have reached a settlement ending their two-year dispute over the Loulo-Gounkoto gold complex, restoring the miner's operational control and dropping the arbitration case.
Mining has resumed at Barrick's Loulo-Gounkoto complex in Mali after a nine-month suspension, with a court-appointed administrator overseeing the restart while the ownership dispute remains unresolved.
Mali says it has completed the takeover of the Yatela and Morila gold mines, abandoned years ago by their foreign owners, as part of its drive to reclaim control of natural resources.
Mali has started construction of a state-controlled gold refinery built with Russia's Yadran Group, part of military leader Assimi Goita's push to keep more mining value at home.
A commercial court in Bamako has placed Barrick's Loulo-Gounkoto gold complex under state control, appointing a provisional administrator as Mali seeks to reopen the mine despite the miner's objections.
Barrick confirmed it has suspended production at its Loulo-Gounkoto complex in Mali after authorities seized about $245m worth of gold stock, deepening a two-year standoff over the country's new mining code.
